Friday, December 7, 1923
KEOKUK’S 43 YEAR OLD OPERA HOUSE IS GUTTED IN EARLY MORNING BLAZE.
About an hour after yesterday evenings last performance of Frank Craven’s comic tragedy “THE FIRST YEAR” at approximately 12:30 a.m. Keokuk’s 43 year old opera house, Known as THE GRAND since 1914, was gutted by a fire, which some believe may have been smoldering during the final act of the play.
The Keokuk Opera House was constructed in 1880 at a cost of $30,000, at the time it was considered to be the most pretentious structure in Keokuk. This 60 x 68 foot building had an auditorium which could accommodate more than a thousand persons. The grand entrance was 20 feet wide and the stage was the largest in the Midwest.
In 1914 The Baker-Dodge Theatre Company took over the opera house and renamed it The Grand Theatre, it continued the tradition of bringing the best in Musicals, Stage Plays and even the popular motion pictures of the times. Merle F. Baker, head of The Baker-Dodge company vows to rebuild The Grand.
Interesting article about some of the Baker family that had ties to the Grand theater and their thoughts about it’s restoration.
https://www.mississippivalleypublishing.com/daily_gate/news/grand-theatre-descendants-like-what-they-see-on-return-to/article_ad753ef9-86df-5c50-ab8a-746b9bc55414.html
I have to disagree with the comment above that states that the Grand closed in 1957. I can vividly remember going there in the 1970’s to watch movies like “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Jaws” among others, so I’m sure it didn’t close until sometime in the early 1980’s.
I was wrong about the date of the fire. It was May 12th, 1975 that the fire occurred.
Friday, December 7, 1923 KEOKUK’S 43 YEAR OLD OPERA HOUSE IS GUTTED IN EARLY MORNING BLAZE. About an hour after yesterday evenings last performance of Frank Craven’s comic tragedy “THE FIRST YEAR” at approximately 12:30 a.m. Keokuk’s 43 year old opera house, Known as THE GRAND since 1914, was gutted by a fire, which some believe may have been smoldering during the final act of the play. The Keokuk Opera House was constructed in 1880 at a cost of $30,000, at the time it was considered to be the most pretentious structure in Keokuk. This 60 x 68 foot building had an auditorium which could accommodate more than a thousand persons. The grand entrance was 20 feet wide and the stage was the largest in the Midwest. In 1914 The Baker-Dodge Theatre Company took over the opera house and renamed it The Grand Theatre, it continued the tradition of bringing the best in Musicals, Stage Plays and even the popular motion pictures of the times. Merle F. Baker, head of The Baker-Dodge company vows to rebuild The Grand.
Interesting article about some of the Baker family that had ties to the Grand theater and their thoughts about it’s restoration. https://www.mississippivalleypublishing.com/daily_gate/news/grand-theatre-descendants-like-what-they-see-on-return-to/article_ad753ef9-86df-5c50-ab8a-746b9bc55414.html
After the screen was blown down, they had put on the marquee sign out front “Now Playing – Gone With The Wind” as a bit of humor in a bad situation.
I have to disagree with the comment above that states that the Grand closed in 1957. I can vividly remember going there in the 1970’s to watch movies like “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Jaws” among others, so I’m sure it didn’t close until sometime in the early 1980’s.